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2 Sheets-Sheet I: T. J. POWERS. Assignor to Fmm & VAN VEGHTEN. MAGHINE FOR LOADING AND INSERTING THE BULLET INTO CARTRIDGES.

No. 61,456. Patented Jan. 22, 1867.

III;

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

T. J. POWERS.

Assignor to FITCH &. VAN VECH'I'EN. MACHINE FOR LOADING AND INSBRTING THE BULLET INTO CARTRIDGES No. 61,456. Patented Jan. 22, 1867.

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TIMOTHY J. POWERS, OF NEW YORK, .N. Y., Asst-elven To 'FITGH. & VAN

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TO ALL WHOM IT-MAY CONCERN:

Bc'it knowntliat I, TIMpTHY J. POWEBS; of thecity, county, and Stateof New-York, have invented a new and improved ldachine for Loading and Ihserting the Bullets into Cartridges; and I (lo-hereby declare that the following isa full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisspecification, in which--- Figure l is a plan of the machine.

Figure 2i ertical section of the same in the plane'indicated by the line z :r, fig. 1.

Figure 8 is a vertical section of the same. in the planes indicatedby; the line 3 y, fig. 1.

Figure 4 is a plan of the bullet-feeding devices.

Figure 5 is a plan of the die which conducts the hullets into the loaded shells. I v

Figure 6 is avertieal section of the devices for crimping -and closing the mouth of the cartridge-shell around the bullet on a larger scale than the before-mentioned figures.

Figure? is an outside elevation of the crimping die.

Figure 8, a horizontal section in the plane indicated by the line 2 z in'fig. 7..

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures The principal'eiements of this machine consist of an automatic device for feeding the cartridge-shells to the machine; an automatic deticei'or feeding the gunpowder into the shells; automatic devices for feeding the bullets to'the machine, conducting them to the loaded shells, depositing'thm therein, andramming-them down charges; an automatic eontrivance for crimping and closing the moulds of theshells around the bullets; an automatic eontrivance for carrying the shells from theshell-feeding device to the powder-feeding or loading device, thence to the bullet-feeding and inserting devices, thence to the crimping' device a'nd finally to the place of their discharge from the machine. The cartridge-shell feeder-consists of a continually rotating.

horizontal disk and suitable guides by which the shells are fed and conducted in single file, one after another, to the intermittently rotating carrier which conveys them toithe loading, bullet-inserting, crimping, and discharsing devices. This carrier consists'o" a horizontal intermittently rotatingdisk, and has in its periphery. suitable cavities for the reception of the shells. The powder-feeding or-loading devices consist of a hopper into which the gunpowder is placed, and an intermittently rotating disk in which are suitable cavities in which the gunpewder'is received in measured quantities from the hopper, and by which itis depositedin the sh'ells during intermissions in.the rotation of; the carrier. Between the gunpowder hopper and the measuring and feeding disk or distributor above mentioned there is a" device for preventing the fire. resulting from any accidental explosion of the powder which has leftthehopper, or the charged shells iti their subsequent treatment, communieating with the powder in the hopper.. The cavities provided in-the carrier for the eartridge s hel ls are shownof such construction, and the bullet-inserting devices so applied ahd operated, and acontrivanee' fbr" lii'ting up the shells is so arrangedaud operated; that a'larger quantity of powder is fed into the shells than in its normal condition they could contain, such excess of powder'being forced into the shells under the bullets by the compression of the whole charge. This, however, may be modified,'as hereinafter referred to, when the powder in the shells does not require to be hard pressed. The crimping devices having a. vertical reciprocating motion slip down over the bullet, and a contractible die, which constitutes the main feature of these devices, contracts the mouth of the shell upon and round the bullet. The vertically reciprocating slide, which carries the crimping devices, also carries a punch, by whichthe bullets are inserted into the cartridge-shells and caused to compress the charge of powder thereon, and another punch by which the cartridges, when completed by the insertion of the balls and crimping of the shells around them, are discharged from the machine. f

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention. I. will proceed to describe it in detail with reference to the drawings.

The cartridge-sheilacontaining the priming in their heads m be placed on the part A of the table A, mounted on a suitable frame for earryingithe several working. devices, and be .fed -in continuous and rapid succession on to a continuously rotating horiaontal disk, B, which will convey theminto a guiding-groove or channel, a, that, by the action of the disk, serves to conduct them in single file, one after another, into chambers, b,

arranged round the periphery of an intermittently revol ving horizontal carrier, G, as the mouths of said chamhere come in succession and remain for a short interval at restopposite the inner end of the guiding-groove or channel a, (see fig. 1,) where the shells as they are fed are shown in red lines. Motion may be communicated to the continuously revolving disk B and intermittently revolving cartridge-shell carrier C by means of a main driving-shaft, 0, wheels 11 d, counter-shaft a, carrying a drum, f, that is provided with straight and spiral threads, which mesh into a crown-wheel, g, on the carrier-shaft g to give the necessary intermittent revolving motion to the cartridge-carrier C and bevel-gearing, h h h it, that serve to operate the continuously revolving cartridgeshell feeding disk 13. The uppersurface of the feeding disk B is oh a level with the part Aof the table A to facilitate the passage of the cartridge-shells on to the diskand into the guide a, but it shoulthbc arranged to be suiliciently below and made to underlap the carrier 0 to give freeingress-of the cartridge-shells into the chamhers I) of the latter. This cartridge-shell carrier 0 has, according to the modification shown in the accompanying drawing, its chambers, 6, formed by round holes (see figs. 1 and 2) in its top, opening into semicircular or U-shaped cavities below or portion forming the bodics of the chambers, and these again enlarged at the bottom into similar U-shaped cavities (see dotted lines at z in fig. 1) to receive the body and head oft'he cartridgeshells, whichare fed into the chambers 6 under the top of the carrier, and not until the shell. by the intermittent revolving motion of the carrier is conveyed some distance forward along a groove in the table A corrcsponding withthe lower level of the'part A of the table and channel a, is it made'to enter for a short or partial height the round hole forming the top of the chamber, being steadied or guided and held from falling out in the mean time, it may be, by an extension of the rib which forms the outer boundary to the feed-guide a, and which, rib, if necessary, may be extended further or nearly around the carrier. After the cartridge-shell, however, has been received within. the U-shaped cavities of the chamber-fhere supposing the chambers not to be U- shaped through their entire lengthy-and been conveyed by the carrier C a proper distance past the feedingdisk B, the shell, while the carrier 0 is at rest, is slightly raised out of the groove in the table A, so as to pro-- jeet into the round hole ofthc chamber in the top of the carrier to within a'moderatc distance refit-supper surface or level. This may be done by ajlifting-rod, 2', operated by levers, j, acted upon by a grooved com, 7:,

on thecounter-shaft e. In thus describing the action on one shell, the same applies to the remainder, which 7 ar follow inrapid succession.

It will now be necessary to describe the operation of charging the shell with gunpowder, as it--- tha't is', each shell in succcssion-comcs by the action of the intermittently revolving carrier and for a short interval remains at rest under the proper charging devices. These consist, firstly, of a hopper, D, which should be fed at intervals with only a small quantity of powder to lessen the violence of an explosion in case of an accident. To prevent it being over supplied at any one time, and to give safe vent in case of an explosion, I out an aperture, Z, in rear of the hopper. The powder is conveyed from the hopper at suitable intervals to the extent of atcartridgecharge; each delivery from it, by'means of auintermittently revolving perforated distributor measurer, E, which, by means of a ratchet-wheel or formation, m, and pawhm, levers o 0, fast to a vertical shaft and grooved cam,'p, on the counter-shaft e, is made alternately and successively. to establish and shut cif communication with the hopper, each perforation in the distributor being of the necessary diameter anddepth to constitute a charge, and only remaining under the: delivery aperture of the hopper a. sutlieient time to fill, when, by the, continued intermittently revolving aetionof the distributor, it is passed on till it arrives over a cartridgeshell in the carrier C, which it is timed to meet and into which it discharges itself. The delivery aperture of thehopperD, or discharging device forming a continuation of the lower portion e the latter, is contracted and fitted with a brass or other suitable bush,'q, that is made to moderately press down upon and establish a close junction with the distributor E by means of an India-rubber spring packing, r, encircling .the bush, and that also serves to givea close or tight chai'actcr generally to the communication with the hoppenfrom below, so that if by any accident any of the pharged or loaded cartridges should explode in their after progress through the machine, and such explosion be extended by the fire igniting the other charged shells in the rear, it will be stopped from communicating or extending to the powder in the hopper. This close or tight character, too, of

the hopper at its delivery end serves to prevent powder, during the charging process, from being scattered on the distributor and carried round by it to run to waste and endanger an explosion. Here it may be observed that in some cases, and when it is desired to compress the powder into the shell, the amount of loose powder discharged each delivery from the hopper is suflicicnt to not only fill the cartridge-shell under the process of being charged, but also the upper portion of the round hole in the'top of the carrier, which is 'not occupied by the shell, so that there will be a surplus ct powder that'on being rammed down in a subsequent process will serve to closely pack and fully charge the cartridge. Next in succession is the bullet-feeding and loading proccssl To accomplish this, the table A is of a raised construction opposite, or nearly opposite, the cartridgeshell feeder, that is, on'the other side of the shell-carrier C. Mounted on this raised portion of the table, and flush, or nearly so, with its surface, is a continuously revolving bullet-feeding disk, F, driven through belt and pulleys s .v by or from the" shaft of the shell-feeder, and arranged to overlap the shell-earrier, on to which the. bullets are fed and condu ctcd in single file (shown in blue lines in fig. .1) along a grooved channelor guide, t, as in the case of the cartridge shell-feeding device, and are delivered or droppedone after another in succession through a suitable hole or opening in the table outside the bullet-feeding disk, as at u in fig. 4, by means of an intermittently reciprocating slide, G, which, lyin on or over the disk F, acts, firstly, as a stop to prevent the bullets being carried round too for by the disk, and at proper intervals to slide outward and convey a bullet lying in a notch or cavity in the edge of the slide over the delivery aperture in the bullet-feeding table. This bullet-delivery apertureis pitched to lie over the line of travel of the's'hell-chambers b in the carrier 0, and at a point when, by the intcrmitt-ing action of saidearrier, the chambers in succession (each containing a shell loosely charged with powder) come and for a short interval remain at rest under the said bulletdciivery apers v w a ture. The slide G, having drawn a bullet frqm oll' the disk F and-dropped it through the delivery aperture in the table, next, or after a suitablepn-use, works inward againto repeat the operation of taking up a fresh. bullet for the next shell in order. This intermittent action of the slide G is, or may be, efi'ected by means of a straight and inclined guidc, v, working in a clip or slotted arm, w, of the slide, and attached to avertically reciprocating slide, H, that works in a standard, I, and is driven by an eccentric block, if, attached to a disk, 6', on the driving-shaft'c, and working in a slot in an under continuation of the vertical slide E, that may be balanced and steadied by fast-and-loose racks and pinions below, or said slide may be othcrwise driven. After thebullet has been dropped by the slide G through the delivery aperture in the table, it passes,,in its course down to the powder in the shell or shell-chamber undcr it, into a divided die, J J ,'(see more particularly figs. 4 and 5,) which serves to conduct the bullet to the powder-loaded shell,sai,d die being closed at first so as to receiveaud guide the bullet tothe shell-chamber and to hold or steady the bullet in a precise central position on thepowder in the chamber containing the shell, while the punch or rammcr K, which is connected with the slide H, comes down and rams home the bullet intoits position in the mouth ofthe shell. The die J J' is then or afterward opened to allow the bullet to pass out or through in the next intermittent movement forward of the carrier C. Said die .T-J' may thus be operated to act upon each bullet in succession by means of straight -and inclined guides, c c, attached to the slide H and working against or onhorns, d d. The rammer Km'dybo adjusted by means of a screw and nuts above and bclowat its top to regulate its action to or on the charge. To crimp and close themouths of the shells in completion ofthe cartridge, each carrier-chamber, containing a shell thus charged with powder and bullet, is successively brought under, at apausing point in the intermittent action of the carrier 0, a crimping die or device, the loaded shell with its bullet being slightly raised at this period in the operation of the machine by a rod, e, worked by acro'oked slide or bar,f', acted upon by the levorsj and cam k, sh as'to project the mouth of the shell above-the top surface of the carrier and at the same time serve as a base for the shell to rest upon while being crimped. Immediately prior to crimping, a notched intermittently reciprocating slide, P, acted upon. bya straight and inclined guide, Q, attached to the slide H, is projected forward to stay and hold the shell while being crimped to it's place in the garrier, said holding slide afterward drawing back or retiring. When up tothia carrier, it formsa closetube of the U-shaped shell-chamber inthe carrier, either partly or throughout the depth'of said chamber. The crimping device is connectedwith the reciprocating slide H, and is vertically adjustable by means of a serew-thread onits outer hollow plunger, L, and lock-nuts, g g, to regulate its action. Within this hollow plunger L is-a'oontractible die, M, that'slips down over the bullet and contracts the mouth of the shell upon the-bullet. This coutractibledie M is also hollow (see fig. 6) and is fitted in such a manner, by a slot and screw, h, for instance, that, while it moves-down with theouter plunger, -L, it is. free to allow the outer plunger to move further downward iudepcndcntly'of it, so as when the enlarged inclined portion z of tho longitudinally split or contractible die, illustrated in figs. 6,7, and 8, comes down upon and over the bullet or portion of the bullet projecting above the table, the outer plunger L at its bottom or fiarin g mouth thereof i will in its continued descent press upon and operate to close the enlarged inclined portion of the flexible or contractible die, and by means r internal projecting lips to the latter contract the mouth of the shell upon the bullet-- Within the contractible die may be a rod or punch, N, passingput through the top of the outer plunger, and adj ustable by nut j, to regulate its height. The lower end of this punch is countersunk for reception of the upper or outer end of the bullet, which it will serve to centre and hold to its place while the shell is being crimped round it. This internal upper rod or punch K may be dispensed with, so as, in case of an explosion during the .criuip- -ing process, a free upward vent or escape through the contractible die for the bullet is provided. When said rod, however, is used, the lifting rod a may be made hollow'to give a free vent in caseof explosion. As soon; as the crimping of the shell round the bullet has been eflected,-the plunger L will move upward, and, releasing itself from pressure on the contractible die M, release'the latter from its gripe-on the, shell, and,-continuing to move upward, carry the 'contractible die up along with it for in due time a repetition of its action on the nextsuccecdin g loaded shell that may come under it. The cartridge thus finished is neat conveyed by the intermittent action of the carrier C under a discharging plunger, 0, which, coming down in the next descentof the vertical slide H, to which it is attached, will press upon the bullet and expel the cartridge througha hole in the bed or table of the machine into any suitable receptacle that may be arranged to receive it.

By the machine herein described, apart from feeding the .gim'powder to the hopper, but two manual operations are necessary in the working of it, the one to feed in the cartridge-shells-and the other the bullets, with but little or no risk of an accident to the operatives, and without any excessive labor, so that almost children will sulfice, and the machine be made to produce many thousands,-o' finished cartridges in the hour. Numerous modifications in the details here described will naturally present themselves to the mechanic and others, which it isnot necessary for me here to specify, nor yet to describe the many equivalent devices which may be employed as substitutes for those I have here illustrated and explained to make clear my invention, it being only necessary for me"to'select one of the many modes forcarrying it intopractice; a (lill'erent construc' tion of cartridge-shells, for instance, or different arrangement of the priming in them,,r\equiring of necessity appropriate changes in the details. Thus also, if desired, the automatic bullet-feeding apparatus may be dispensed with and the bullets be fed directly into .thoshells in the carrier 0 by hand; so, also, the shellchambers bin the said carrier may, instead of being round or enclosed nt -the top,be formed by continuing the U-shaped cavities throughout the entire thickness of the carrier C 'and the shell-feeding apparatus be arranged to feed the shells into said chambers on a level with the table A, and so that the upperends of the shells be above or on a level with or only-slightly below the upper surface of the carrier; and the powder-measuring device only discharge, each delivery, suflicient powder to charge a shell irrespectivlot compression or hard packing afterward, which may or may not .he done.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, leeuse 1. The spring or contraetible crimping die or device for closing the months of the shells on -to or in the bullet, constructed to operate substantially as described.

2. I further claim said contractible crimping die, or its equivalent, in combinationwith an intermittent ahell-carrier,'for operation together, essentiallyas herein set forth.

' 8. The combination of an automatic bullet-feeder with an automatic shell-carrier; substantially as specified.

4- The combination of an antomatic shell-feeder, shell-carrier, and bullet-feeder, for action together, as herein set forth. I

5. The combination, with an automatic bullet-feeder, oi" a bullet take-up or slide to deposit the bullet over thesheli. v I 6. In combination with an automatic bullet-feeder, a divided'or opening and closing conducting die to guide the bullet to its place in or over the shell, and to hold it while the charge is being rammed, substantially as specified. 7. Providing the bottom of the powder-hopper or' space intervening between it and-the charge-measurer or distributorwith an independent bush and rubber packing, or their, equivalent, for operation together and in combination with the distributor, essentially as and for the purpose herein set forth;

8. Griping the shell while being crimped by an independent slide, or its equivalent,.arranged to close upon the-mouthsbf the shell-chambers in the carrier and afterward to openaud retire therefrom, essentielly as specified.

9. The combination in one .machine of an automatic shell-carrier, bullet-feeder, powder-charger or measurer and distributor, and crimping device ordie, for operation together substantially as herein 'set forth.

' 10. While not claiming,"irrespective of the'niode herein described, raising the shell at certain 'points within its chamber in the carrier, I do claim, in combination with an intermittently rotating carrier provided with chambers, substantially as described, the lifting rod' i arranged to raise, during a pause in the motion of the carrier, the shell further up within its chamber and then to retreat, essentially as and for the purpose herein set forth.. i

11. Also elevatiri'g the upper end of the shell prior to crimping above the top surface of the carrier and retaining it there while crimping by means of an intermittently reciprocating rod, e, arranged to operate in connection with the carrier and suitable crimping device, substantially as specified.

TIMOTHY J. POWERS witnesses:

J. W. 000M138, G. W. Bnnn. 

